The year is wrapping up faster than I want it to, meaning we at the TSS compound are beginning our year-end debates for how to wrap up ’07. We have all been instructed by our fearless leader to nominate a few artists, albums, and songs in different categories. In thinking of whom to nominate for rapper of the year, the first name that popped into my head was Lil’ Wayne, who’s kind of a weird choice. Yeah, he’s been everywhere, but he hasn’t even released his own album. He gets all the shine he needs to dominate off mixtapes and guest appearances.

But after thinking about it some more, I realized this is nothing new; the ability of an artist to showcase his or her abilities on music attributed to another artist has always been a part of hip-hop. Moreover, the dynamics of the Guest Appearance reveal several underlying traits: of promotion in hip-hop, interactions between rappers, and ways in which fans respond to music. Most guest appearances are done by protege’s or associates of the featured star, and there is an unspoken code in rap music regarding outshining the alpha dog. That’s not to say it’s taboo, but the phenomenon certainly caused hurt feelings in its day. Understandably no one wants to see someone grab the spotlight from their time to shine, but as we look back over rap’s history, it has happened to some of the all time greats.

Outshining someone usually happens in two ways: either an up and coming talent out does an overrated star, or an MC delivers an all-time great verse that makes even the best rapper seem ordinary. Today, I’ll look back at a few examples of each, guest appearances that signaled hip-hop should be shifting their attention elsewhere, or guest turns on classic albums that outshone legendary solo performances.

Join The Discussion

Busta Rhymes verse on ATCQ – Scenario is one of my most memorable guest spots of all time, and I think should have made your list.

10.19.07 at 8:58 am

valhalla

nah i disagree with the gza and jay-z tracks… in my opinion gza gets it his whole verse is amazing… method man is less focused/clever the flow is sick though… and on renegade jay-z just gets it so on point where eminem is very stylised sick multis’ etc but he misses the point doesn’t say much (honest)… ”i came to the fork in the road and went straight” or ”how do you rate music if kids with nothing relate to it”… too sick… along with ”amplifide samples travel through vacuum tube compression/ to cause rza to charge niggas 20g’s a session”

10.19.07 at 8:59 am

Wit-E -

i agree with Mark….
shadowboxing is 1 of my favorite beats of all time…

Good topic. But I’d have to disagree on the Life’s A B*tch and Renegade. Nas inspired me on that track. And as far as Jay’s verses go, dude was parallel with Em if anything.

10.19.07 at 10:28 am

The Gift

Great post! I feel alotta cats is gonna have their say on this one… I felt Em ripped Jay on the track. Yes it was Em’s beat but it made it just that more powerful to me. Em stood out on this track majorly!
…Now down to business… I’m a Nas fan and I do agree AZ dropped an “Ill” verse on that joint! But we gotta give Nas his shine back on that Only Built for Cuban Linx-Verbal Intercourse “Through the Lights, Camera, Action, Glamour, Glitter and Gold/ I unfold the scroll/ plant seeds to stampede the globe…” Oooowwwweeee!!!!

–The Gift

10.19.07 at 10:40 am

TJeffries

“Renagades” was actually initially Eminem and Royce for an upcoming Royce album. There’s a version out there with Royce and Em using practically the same flow and instead of the “he’s Jigga-chikada-chika” at the end of his first verse Em says “he’s Royce he’s the King of Detroit and I’m Sinister…”. I’d love to know Royce’s opinion on this matter, and in addition it puts Jay’s “murdering” in an appropriate context

10.19.07 at 10:40 am

Ass Hat

great theme, great article. i’ve got to agree with valhalla about ‘renegade’, though. maybe em’s flow is slightly more suited to the beat, but lyrically, jay’s verse fits with the whole bent of the album, while eminem comes off as a whiney impostor. “i’m influenced by the ghetto you ruined” > “you f***ing do-gooders”

10.19.07 at 10:45 am

Doug Fresh

Off the subject but…..I hope you cats realize how serious this cat’s charges are..All this and the judge wants to let it marinate for a fews days before he decides:

“T.I.’s attorneys presented a bond proposal to the court asking that their client be released on a $2.2 million bond (with a half-million dollar cash deposit), in addition to a $1 million signature bond signed by T.I.’s recording home, Atlantic Records. The label also contributed five $100,000 signature bonds signed by five executives from Atlantic and Warner Music. Additionally, two $100,000 surety bonds from different bonding companies and the $1.5 million equity in T.I.’s two homes were also offered up to the court. A total of $5.4 million was presented to procure T.I.’s release.”

On top of that…he will have to pay for 24 hour monitoring and a third party person to live in the house and “pat” down anyone who visits the house

The introduction of a commercial success shifts balance between individualism and community, though, and an additional, invisible hand joins in the “pound session” (the customary, albeit varied, greeting offered by Hip-Hop mavens). As the popularity of Hip-Hop has increased, one can already make out the marks of capitalist consumer bleaching Hip-Hop’s richly woven textile. While rap videos dominate MTV’s playlists, while MC’s star in Sprite commercials, while Hip-Hop cuts routinely crack Billboard’s Top Ten, it is at the most rudimentary level that the influence of capitalism in the Hip-Hop community is most obvious: the transformation of the posse cut.

What once was an infrequent way to spread love through alliance (MC’s inviting unsigned crew members and affiliates to shine on a song), guest appearances and posse cuts now resemble a celebrity parade of body-movers and booty-shakers. Posse cuts at one time were celebrations of already-existing relationships (as with the LA-based Likwit Crew and the aforementioned Boot Camp Clik) and were considered prized rare gems on an album. Now posse cuts are as ubiquitous as golden crucifixes, and are less about creating a unique collaboration than they are about exploiting the current popularity of all involved. Perfect example: the song “Men of Steel,” an Ice Cube, Shaquille O’Neal, Peter Gunz, KRS-ONE and B-Real collaboration. Produced in the high-gloss R&B/Hip-Pop style, it embodies all that is wrong in Hip-Hop music: a lame song with languid verses from overpaid artists who don’t mesh on a limp soundtrack to a lifeless movie (“Steel”?!?!?).

10.19.07 at 11:47 am

nation

excellent concept

10.19.07 at 11:54 am

Purpose

AZ lyrics

I always thought he said

“now some resting in peace and some are sitting in san quentin/ others such as myself are trying to carry on traditions/ keeping this proper wealth of street ghetto essence inside us/ cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us”

But, I was never quite sure. But I thought if flowed from the prior line and the “traditions”

10.19.07 at 12:08 pm

Korean Slap Boxer

Great Post!!!
I really dug Renegade and even though both Emcees killed it Eminem did outshine Hov

10.19.07 at 12:08 pm

wytemike

that AZ line has always been hard for me to dissect, but i think hes saying, ” Keeping this effervescent street ghetto essence inside us” , when he’s pronouncing “effervescent” he sounds like he’s putting a “W” in front of it like “weffervescent” but I think it’s just cause he’s rapping so fast the words are running together.

Visualizin the realism of life and actuality
Fuck who’s the baddest a person’s status depends on salary
And my mentality is, money orientated
I’m destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it
cause yeah, we were beginners in the hood as five percenters
But somethin must of got in us cause all of us turned to sinners
Now some, restin in peace and some are sittin in San Quentin
Others such as myself are tryin to carry on tradition
Keepin the effervescent street ghetto essence inside us
Cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us
Even though, we know somehow we all gotta go
but as long as we leavin thievin we’ll be leavin with some kind of dough
so, and to that day we expire and turn to vapors
me and my capers-ll be somewhere stackin plenty papers
Keepin it real, packin steel, gettin high
Cause life’s a bitch and then you die

10.19.07 at 12:16 pm

wytemike

listening to it again, i think AZ is mispronouncing “effervescent” is sounds like he’s putting a “p” where the double f’s are. Like “eppervescent” which is think is a pretty common mispronounciation

10.19.07 at 12:26 pm

complexone

On some straight ignorant shit…

Criminals Gone Wild Trailer:

*smh

10.19.07 at 12:29 pm

woodzman

yep I think it’s “keeping the effervescence street ghetto essence inside us, cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us….” how dope is that line?

There is a possibility it’s ‘schwepervessence’ which was a tag line from an advert at the time advertising sccweppes tonic as an alcoholic chaser. Hip – Hop triva, gottta love it.

10.19.07 at 12:35 pm

woodzman

Yep scenario is a classic, but Tip’s verse on that trrack is seriously underraated. the way he sets up Busta on that track is ridiculous. Also Charlie Brown’s track was absolute fire. So Busta was the scene stealer but his supporting actors were Monsters also

â€¢ Andre Nickatina on San Quinn’s “Ayo for Yayo” (or vice versa)*: Although this song has played been out for me since every frat boy I’ve ever met feels the need to sing Nicky’s part when they find out I’m from the Yay, it’s still classic.

â€¢ Mitchy Slick on C-BO & Killa Tay’s “I’mma Killa”: Red + Blue = gold…. apparently. The opening of Mitchy’s verse gives me chills. “Same reason the movie Blow was made in Daygo / You know the city by the border that they call San Dee-YAYO”.

â€¢ 2Pac on Big L’s “Deadly Combination” / Big Daddy Kane on Big L’s “Platimnum Plus”: Any song w/ another rapper from this album could be a canidate but these two go the hardest. (I gotta version w/ Biggie of the former, but that’s a mix)

nas on scarface joint is so true.. he killed that song and it’s a shame cause not to many people even heard that fuckin song.. great post and the video is dope.. never knew they did that song live

10.19.07 at 4:31 pm

tank hutch'

Um, the “Renegade” beat was made BY an FOR Em, but Jay-Z had the advantage making his verse last. The song was originally Em and Royce; Em’s verse remained the same on the eventual Blueprint version. So unless Em purposely didn’t let Jay hear the original song before Jay recorded his verse . . . if anything Jay had an ADVANTAGE before making his (slightly) inferior verses.

aw man, how you gonna forget UGK outshining Jay-Z on “Big Pimpin'”….I mean the ones you named are great examples, but none greater than this. I mean damn, it was so bad that Jay went back a recorded an EXTRA verse. Unlike say, LL on “4,3,2,1” when he re-recorded a verse after hearing Canibus spit. No, Jay went back and recorded an EXTRA verse! Even to this day, folks chant UGK when he does that song.

10.19.07 at 8:03 pm

Atombomb49

AZ says
Keeping the Effervescent Street Ghetto Essence Inside US. Back in the early 90s Canada Dry Ginger Ale had a TV Commercial and the guy would always say the Soda had Effervescent My guess AZ heard that a few times and put in the Rhyme. Brilliant

as mentioned earlier, nas on verbal intercourse. but also inspectah deck on above the clouds, dude just bodied that beat. or even deck on triumph, he had the rest of the wu shook after the opening bars. co-sign royce on renegade, he held his own and did the beat justice.

10.19.07 at 9:27 pm

Gottyâ„¢

Pac on Breed? Excellent call!

10.20.07 at 9:47 am

BLAZEdaCANNONZ

Royce verses were waaayyyyyy better than jigga’z

10.20.07 at 10:20 am

Steve_Largent

Jay on 5-3-4. One song murdered the whole album.

10.20.07 at 10:38 am

aypee

i have the royce joint but it’s from a mixtape..how do i post it up though

10.20.07 at 11:37 am

Steve

For y’all, its a slick metaphor AZ uses, he says:

“Keepin the schwepervesence street ghetto essence inside us”

For those who might not remeber it, Schwepps Lemonade Used a Slogan In The Mid ’90’s Along The Lines That There Was Schweppervesence in every bottle. Schweppervesence was the essence of the lemonade, what gave its bubble, its kick so to speak. The metaphor is that him and Nas are keeping the street ghetto essence bottled inside them to help guide them thru life.

Just read the next line, it confirms it.

“Cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us”

10.20.07 at 11:39 am

ThaCookieMonstar

I’ll co-sign the Pac on Breed’s Gotta get Mine too. Was actually the first time I heard Pac. Remember seeing the video and thinking ‘Who the hell is this skinny kid… ?’

Nas on Main Source’s Live at the Barbeque. First verse and he kills it. Everyone else could have gone home. Seeing how it was the birth of a legend, I’m surprised no one mentioned it yet. Should have been a given…

10.20.07 at 2:11 pm

Gottyâ„¢

i have the royce joint but it’s from a mixtape..how do i post it up though
=========
Upload it zshare or sharebee.

For those who might not remeber it, Schwepps Lemonade Used a Slogan In The Mid ’90’s Along The Lines That There Was Schweppervesence in every bottle. Schweppervesence was the essence of the lemonade, what gave its bubble, its kick so to speak. The metaphor is that him and Nas are keeping the street ghetto essence bottled inside them to help guide them thru life.

Just read the next line, it confirms it.

“Cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us”
———————
Word. Good info. Never heard of that product before. East coast thing?

jay stays lifting lines from other emcees. i understand that he did three albums without leaning on the homage crutch, but look at guys like andre 3000 that have basically gone their whole careers dropping sick verses without quoting anyone (in jay’s defense, guys like mos def quote quite a bit too)

10.22.07 at 4:11 pm

creator

I always thought AZ says “keeping this weapon, vest, and street ghetto essence inside us”. It may not make too much sense but phonetically it’s on point.

LOL, in the Renegade live, at the end, em and hov were competeing to say the chorus

10.23.07 at 7:56 am

Tru-Critique

NAS – MC Search – Back To The Grill

I had set my VCR to tape Video Music Box that day. When i came home and saw that video i rewinded Nas’s verse a minimum of 67 times. I just kept watching it over and over again. It was the first time I had actually seen Nas, i had heard a few of his songs but had never seen him before. This verse is classic “Nasty” Nas

“Waving automatic guns at Nuns, Sticking up the Preachers in the Church i’m a stoned crook, serial killer who works by the phone book”

at that time no one had ever said anything like that on record before…

10.23.07 at 7:57 am

Tru-Critique

Link to the video

10.23.07 at 8:39 pm

Mothra Jones

ive always looked at both verses on lifes a bitch as mirrors of one another, like the optimistic and pessimistic outlooks, so i dont know if id say one murdered another.

AZ flow can outshine nas on a lot of tracks they both on now that you mention it though.

10.24.07 at 12:38 pm

?

I Agree with all of those ones.
Here’s some more:
Busta on Scenario. (ATCQ)
Nas on Back To The Grill Again (Mc Serch/Chubb Rock)
Nas on Live @ The BBQ. (Main Source/Akineyle/JoeFatal)
Pete Rock on Down With The King (Run DMC/CL Smooth)
Nas on Verbal Intercourse (Raekwon/Ghostface)
Diamond D on The Next Level (Tha Alkaholiks)
BIG & Tupac on Lets Git It On (Heavy D/Grand Puba)
Diamon D on Word Is Bond (House Of Pain)
Dice Raw on The Lesson (The Roots)
Phife Dawg on La Schmoo (Fu Schekins)

Feel free to add more to the list. This is just off the top of my head. I’m curious to see some more of these. Great post…